‘It's just a surreal experience:’ Strong winds whip through Riverside
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Strong winds whipped through several parts of the Inland Empire on Tuesday. The dangerous winds left debris and downed trees scattered across parts of Riverside.
What they're saying:
"It's just a surreal experience that it happened," said Riverside resident Breanne Juarez.
She says a massive tree fell right on top of her home, leaving her and others in disbelief.
"You see it on the news all the time but you don't expect it to happen to your house," said Juarez. She says the tree pierced through parts of her home, but fortunately, she and her family are safe.
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"Luckily I was in the back of the house, so it just felt like a big earthquake to me," said Juarez.
"That wind event caused a lot of emergencies in local and adjacent neighborhoods," said Cpt. Paul Seawright with the City of Riverside Fire Dept.
The agency says many of those emergencies were fallen trees and downed power lines.
"All the apparatuses in the city were at an alarm status and they were making sure everyone was safe," said Cpt. Seawright.
While crews have been out removing trees in Riverside, the other concern for some are heavy storms. A widespread flood watch is in effect for parts of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Riverside Fire Department and witnesses.